Lutheran Church of the Cross serves East Kent at 23810 112th Ave SE, where Sunday worship is held at 8:00 and 11:00 AM. The congregation is known for Christian education through Sunbeams Lutheran School, its role in establishing Peace Lutheran in Covington, and its Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod emphasis on the Word and Sacraments.
A Mission Born as King of Kings Outgrew Its Facilities
Interest in a new Lutheran mission developed in East Kent as the area's population grew and King of Kings Lutheran Church in Renton outgrew its facilities. A synodical planning board surveyed the area, and a property of approximately five acres at the southwest corner of SE 240th and 112th SE was purchased around 1965.
On November 3, 1968, 27 interested people met at King of Kings for a preliminary meeting. A commissioning service ten days later brought together approximately 17 families who would form the nucleus of the new congregation. Retired Pastor R. J. Troeger served temporarily under the supervision of Pastor O. H. Markgraf of King of Kings. The first worship service took place on November 17, 1968, in an East Hill Elementary School classroom, with 87 people present. After several Sundays, worship moved to the school gymnasium. On December 8, the name Lutheran Church of the Cross was selected.
From a School Gymnasium to a Sanctuary
Candidate David Chamberlain was assigned to the new congregation in April 1969, arrived on June 5, and was ordained at King of Kings on June 15. Average attendance had risen above 124, while Sunday School enrollment was in the eighties. Pastor Wayne Bayer was installed on January 24, 1971. With a loan from the Northwest District, the congregation broke ground on February 7 and dedicated its sanctuary, followed by a cornerstone-laying service, on September 12. At the dedication, the church had 102 communicant members, 185 baptized members, average attendance of 160, and Sunday School enrollment of 90.
Pastor Arnold Walta was installed on July 31, 1977. A two-Sunday service schedule began in September 1979, and members built a new parsonage that was dedicated that August. In January 1980, the congregation became self-supporting and no longer needed Northwest District subsidies. Average Sunday attendance later reached 200. A landscaping improvement sparked by Mark Senger's Eagle Scout project also brought approval for a trailer classroom expansion, along with parking lot and fencing improvements.
Joining Sunday Worship at 23810 112th Ave SE
The congregation's two-Sunday rhythm continues the schedule begun in 1979. Sunday worship is held at 8:00 and 11:00 AM at 23810 112th Ave SE in Kent.
- Sunday worship: 8:00 and 11:00 AM
- Location: 23810 112th Ave SE, Kent, WA 98031-3545
- Online worship: Sunday worship is also available through the church's YouTube livestream
- Parking: A parking lot is part of the church property
Christian education has long been central to the life of Lutheran Church of the Cross. It shaped the early Sunday School, the church's preschool, the upstairs education and fellowship area, and the work of Sunbeams Lutheran School.
Sunbeams School and a Tradition of Learning
Sunday School enrollment was already in the eighties before the congregation dedicated its first sanctuary, and it stood at 90 by the 1971 dedication. A Christian preschool began in November 1978 and developed as Little Sunbeams Christian Preschool, with additional and full sessions as the program grew. Teachers through the years included Mavis Akset, Beth Flohr, Beth Meyer, Diana Hennig, and Kathi Reichert. In July 1987, the congregation installed Janet Unger as a full-time teacher working with Christian education agencies and the preschool.
The church's school, Sunbeams Lutheran School, continues that Christian education emphasis, with Molly Long serving as interim school director. The church building also received a new composition roof, furnace, and electrical improvements in 1987-1988, while the Lutheran Women's Missionary League carpeted the upstairs education and fellowship area and added blinds to the upstairs wing.
The Love of the Triune God Through Word and Sacraments
With the universal Christian Church, Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod teaches and responds to the love of the Triune God: the Father, creator of all that exists; Jesus Christ, the Son; and the Holy Spirit, who creates faith through God's Word and Sacraments. The three persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal, one God.
The church states its mission plainly: "Our mission at Lutheran Church of the Cross is to make the living Christ known to all people; to serve the spiritual needs of our members and our community; to grow, reach out, and live in Christ." Its leadership recognizes the authority of God and describes its pastors and staff as shepherds serving under the Chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ. They are devoted to prayer and the ministry of the Word, with a goal of equipping believers for ministry until all attain maturity in the fullness of Christ. Pastor Kirk Hulvey leads the church's pastoral ministry.
Dial-The-Word and the Covington Mission
Dial-The-Word began offering daily telephone devotions to the Kent and Seattle area in December 1977. The church also took a direct role in developing a Lutheran mission in Covington. The Northwest District and Lutheran Church of the Cross jointly supported the vicarage of Rodney Flohr in 1983-1984, and evening and morning worship began that November at the Timberlane Community Club House and Covington Elementary School gym. Land was acquired on Kent-Kangley, and the District called Rev. Robert Kunz as mission developer in fall 1984.
About 20 families from Lutheran Church of the Cross were released to form the nucleus of the new mission. Peace Lutheran was received as a congregation of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod at the Northwest District Convention in June 1985. That work reflected the congregation's call to "grow, reach out, and live in Christ," alongside worship, teaching, and Christian education that grew from its Sunday School and preschool.
Growing, Reaching Out, and Living in Christ
Lutheran Church of the Cross combines weekly worship at 8:00 and 11:00 AM with a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod commitment to the Word and Sacraments. Its school, history of educational ministry, and support for new congregations reflect the work that grew from 27 interested people in 1968. The church is centered on making the living Christ known, serving spiritual needs, and growing, reaching out, and living in Christ.